Memorial Day weekend kicks off what is often referred to by traffic safety experts as "the 100 deadliest days," with a dangerous spike in teen traffic fatalities – an increase of more than 20 percent over year-round figures. Each year, about 2,100 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes, with 30 percent – seven deaths a day on average -- occurring during the Memorial Day to Labor Day period.

The National Road Safety Foundation is again teaming with about two dozen other traffic safety advocacy groups including Impact Teen Drivers, SADD and We Save Lives to make summer "The 100 Safest Days." They will spread the safe driving message with a heavy media and social media campaign to call attention to a range of safe driving issues from distracted and drowsy driving, impaired driving, speeding and seat belt usage, along with an effort to empower passengers to speak up when in a vehicle that's being driven dangerously. 

"Summer should be a time filled with fun with family and friends, and not a time marred by tragedy," said Michelle Anderson, director of operations at the National Road Safety Foundation. "By changing the culture and activating parents to be more involved, we hope to make summertime 'the 100 Safest Days,' not only for teens on the road, but for all drivers, passengers and other road users such as bicyclists and scooters."

NRSF and its partners have created a robust website that covers a variety of traffic safety issues that impact teens, with materials that parents can use to engage with their young drivers about road safety. It goes live Friday at www.100safestdaysofsummer. 

Coalition members include the Brain Injury Alliance-New Jersey, Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition, Gweedo Memorial Foundation, Youth of Virginia Speak Out (YOVASO), Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), ADTSEA (American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association), In One Instant, the D.C. Office of Highway Safety, Kids and Car Safety, Safe Kids Worldwide, and California Highway Patrol (CHP). In addition, many local law enforcement, county and state agencies will reach out with messaging to their local media and on social media.

This year's campaign comes as statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show 39,354 people died in traffic crashes last year, a decrease of four percent from the previous year and below the 16-year high of 42,915 fatalities in 2021.